Image-forming methods using a light-sensitive material comprising a support and a light-sensitive layer containing silver halide, a reducing agent and a polymerizable compound are described in Japanese Patent Publications No. 45(1970).11149 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,697,275), No. 47(1972)-20741 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,667) and No. 49(1974)-10697, and Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 57(1982)-138632 and No. 58(1983)-169143. In the image-forming methods disclosed in the above-mentioned publications, when the exposed silver halide is developed using a developing solution, the polymerizable compound (e.g., vinyl compound) is induced to polymerize in the presence of a reducing agent to form a polymer image. Thus, this method need a wet development process using a developing solution. Therefore, the process takes a relatively long time.
An improved image-forming method employing a dry process is described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-69062 and No. 61(1986)-73145 (the contents of both publications are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,676 and European Patent Provisional Publication No. 0174634A2). In this image-forming method, a recording material (light-sensitive material) comprising a light-sensitive layer containing a light-sensitive silver salt (silver halide), a reducing agent, a cross-linkable compound (a polymerizable compound) and a binder provided on a support is imagewise exposed to light to form a latent image of the silver halide, and then the material is heated to polymerize within the area where the latent image of the silver halide has been formed. The above-described image-forming method using a dry process is also described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 61(1986)-183640 and No. 61(1986)-188535.
Also known is an image-forming method in which the polymerizable compound within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has not been formed is polymerized to form an image, as described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 61(1986) 260241. In this image-forming method, polymerization of the polymerizable compound is restrained within the area where a latent image of the silver halide has been formed, and polymerization of the polymerizable compound within other area (area where a latent image has not been formed) is accelerated.
The image-forming method using a light-sensitive material having a light-sensitive layer which contains a photopolymerizable composition or a photopolymerizable compound on a support is a method in which a polymer image is formed in the area which has been exposed to light by imagewise exposure. Such image-forming method and a light-sensitive material used therefor are described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 52(1982)-89915, No. 57(1982)-179836, No. 58(1983)-88739, No.58(1983)-88740 and No. 60(1985)-259490.
The image-forming method using the light-sensitive material having the above.mentioned constitution generally comprises the steps of imagewise forming a polymer compound on the light-sensitive material, then superposing the light-sensitive material on an image-receiving material having an image-receiving layer, and pressing the light-sensitive material on the image-receiving material to transfer the unpolymerized compound (or unpolymerized photopolymerizable composition or unpolymerized photopolymerizable compound) to the image-receiving material. In the above-mentioned image-forming method, particularly preferably employed is a light-sensitive material in which the silver halide and the polymerizable compound are contained in a microcapsule or a light-sensitive material in which the photopolymerizable composition or the photopolymerizable compound is contained in a microcapsule.
In the field relating to recording sheets for various recording materials, there are known methods for supplying an increased amount of image-forming substances such as a dye or a dye precursor to enhance the image quality. For example, in the field of ink-jet recording or the field relating to image-receiving sheets (image-receiving material) for thermal transferring, voids are formed in the image-receiving sheet to increase the space for the image-forming substance, whereby the image-forming substance can be supplied in an increased amount, as described in Japanese Patent Provisional Publications No. 59(1984)-68292, No. 59(1984)-68293, No. 59(1984)-68294, No. 61(1986)-217289, No. 61(1986)-164892 and No. 61(1986)-164893. These methods are very effective from the viewpoint of supplying an increased amount of the image-forming substance to the image-receiving sheet, and they can be advantageously utilized in the image formation system using the light-sensitive material and the image-receiving material which includes a transferring (-by-pressing procedure. However, the above-mentioned image-forming method needs a pressing procedure (100 to 500 kg/cm.sup.2), so that when the voids are formed in the image-receiving layer as described above, the voids are apt to diminish. Further, when the image-forming method is carried out at a high temperature and a high humidity (e.g., 30.degree. C. and 80 %RH), a part of the image-receiving layer sometimes sticks to the surface of the light-sensitive layer in the procedure peeling (separation) the image-receiving material from the light-sensitive material, that is, agglomeration breakage occurs.